I
count to twenty after Tara leaves with the mark, then finish my drink, slamming
the cup down on the table. It clacks against the grimy surface.
“It’s
made of bones,” I gripe at Brax, my shipmate, staring at the cup as though it’s
personally offended me. “So is the table, and the chairs. Even the people in
this sodden town contain bones. Though… I guess that’s everywhere.”
“You
still sulking because the captain wouldn’t let you seduce the mark, Ruby?” Jace
asks and laughs, drawing my eyes up to his hooded face. Amber-colored eyes,
narrowed under thick lashes and creased dark eyebrows, study me with disapproval.
He’d be attractive if he wasn’t such a scracum. Anyway, he’s Tara’s plaything,
and she doesn’t like to share her toys. I don’t answer, focusing my attention
on the ale pooling on the floor.
We’re
lurking in a dark corner of a sleazy brothel, in a town carved out of a pile of
bones. If I’d imagined the trip to find my cousin would end like this, I’d have
stayed on the ship. I could be sunning myself on Oky’s deck and drinking rum
out of a coconut. Instead, I’m skulking in a sleazy dive carved out of some
dead creature’s butthole drinking… I don’t even know what this is, just that it
burns.
After
following Dagen’s trail for months based on semi-reliable information, we’d
arrived here, at the world’s literal backend, only for Tara to go off alone and
return to tell us her brother is dead.
I
don’t know how I feel about it yet. Sad, I guess.
I
was really sure we’d found him. That he would stride into the tavern after
Tara, with his dark eyes and smiling mouth, and sweep me up in a hug, like he
used to when I was ten. I’m heavier than I was back then. Eight years of
maturing will do that to a lass, but my cousin was always larger than life and
ready for any challenge. He and Tara used to be thick as thieves, no pun
intended, and sometimes they let me tag along on their escapades.
I
haven’t seen Dagen since he was eighteen. The day he left Janolus cove, eight
years ago. On the same day, we lost my uncle, Tara’s dad. Life hasn’t been the
same since.
Well,
no more escapades with Dagen. No more booming laughter or friendly smiles. He’s
gone. Like my father and my older brother. Now, I should get going too.
I
stand up and wobble, unsteady on my feet. Seems that I’m drunker than I
expected. I only had one cup of the vile liquid that seared its way down my
throat, thankfully numbing my grief.
“You
good?” Brax reaches out a hand to steady me, his huge hand wrapping easily
around my bicep as his deep voice’s soothing timbre reaches into my aching
heart.
“Yup,”
I lie, and he releases me.
“Maybe
I should go?” Jace places both palms on the table, preparing to stand. He’s
pushed up his sleeves in the hot room. His tattooed, muscled forearms are on
full display, broadcasting his rank and family crest for all to see. Fool. He’s
lucky nobody in this washed-up town can read them or know their meaning. We’re
a long way from the sea.
“Getting
sloppy.” I tap his arm and he scowls at me.
“Watch
your mouth, Ruby. You might be the captain’s cousin, but I’m still the first
mate.”
“Yes
sir. Sorry sir,” I drawl. His scowl deepens.
“Better
hurry, or you’ll lose them,” Brax intervenes before Jace tries to pull rank on
me again.
“Don’t
worry. I’ll be fine.”
I
do my best to walk in a straight line towards the door Tara disappeared out of
and creep into the alley. The cool night air is a blessing after the hot, rank
room. Closing the door quietly, I crouch and fill my lungs, drawing in deep
refreshing breaths, clearing my inebriated head.
As
expected, Tara hasn’t gone far without backup. The mark is leaning against the
wall at the entrance to the alley and Tara is attacking his mouth as if she’s
searching for buried treasure. Poor guy. He’s taller than her, and she’s woven
her hands into his long sandy locks to pull his face down. She says something
too low for me to hear and he chuckles, then groans in a deep, husky voice that
goes straight to my nether regions.
I
duck down behind an overflowing pail of refuse. Wonderful. I love my
life. Tara gets to suck face with the town’s most eligible bachelor while I
crawl around on my hands and knees in the muck.
I
need to alert Tara to my presence and let her know she can proceed. I focus,
finding the pitter-pattering heartbeat of a small creature nearby. Perfect.
A
large rodent peeks out of the garbage pail beside me. Nose twitching and black
eyes reflecting the yellow moon above us, it looks down at me curiously.
“Hello,
friend. Go to Tara,” I instruct it. Giving it a little nudge with my power.
The
rodent squeaks and scurries towards the overly amorous couple. Tara pays it no
mind until it climbs onto her leg. Oh well. That should do the trick.
Three…
two… one…
There’s
a scream and a squeak. My furry messenger scurries away, and Tara’s voice
drifts back to me. “Can we maybe go somewhere less… overridden?”
Her
companion chuckles and grabs her hand. “Of course. We can go back to my rooms
in Chief’s Rib. Best view in all of Achten Tan.”
That’s
what we were hoping for.
“Perfect.”
Tara laughs, a deep throaty sound I know is fake. They set out along the alley
and I follow, marking the route for Brax and Jace.
The
streets are quiet at this time of night. Most of the townspeople have retired
to the towering ribs that loom above us, glinting white in the moonlight. The
night air must sober our mark as well. His voice sounds clearer, less slurred.
“What
shall I call you?” Tara asks teasingly.
“My
name is Kaii, but if you like, you can call me The Bone Master. Everyone does.”
“Is
that a reference to your appendage?” Tara snickers.
“Among
other things,” he replies, sounding pleased with himself.
I
peek around the corner, staying in the shadows. Tara sways towards him, her
teeth shining white in the moonlight.
“You
know that’s not a bone, right?”
“Might
as well be,” he smirks, eyes full of dirty promises.
I
roll my eyes so hard I glimpse my brain. Maybe I’m not missing anything after
all. He slings an arm around Tara’s waist. He’ll be lucky if he doesn’t cut
himself on one of the many knives stuffed into her leather vest.
I
wonder if Tara is enjoying herself. Nobody on the ship would dare grope her
like that, not even Jace. But as far as Kaii knows, she’s just a girl in dark
leather. I’d love to see his face when he finds out she’s the captain of a
pirate ship.
Kaii
leads Tara through the streets. He’s still slightly unsteady, but sobering up
slowly in the cool night air. “So, Tara,” he asks, “what brings you to Achten
Tan?”
“My
long-lost brother.” I can’t believe she told him, and even worse, her tone is
neutral. She doesn’t even sound upset.
“Anyone
I’d know?” Kaii inquires.
Tara
shakes her head. “It doesn’t matter. I didn’t find what I was looking for.”
Kaii
frowns and mutters to himself. “Yeah. I know the feeling.”
Well,
this conversation turned depressing quickly.
Tara
must realize she’s killing the mood because she squeezes his hand and waits for
him to glance her way before leveling him with a dazzling smile. “But now the
night is looking up.”
His
eyes search hers for a moment before he returns the smile. “Yeah. I think so
too.”
It
only takes a few minutes to get across town to Chief’s Rib. They’re almost at
the bottom of the stairs when a door at the base of the rib opens and a teenage
girl steps out. I duck into the deep shadows of a doorway across the main path.
Close enough to hear and see.
“Hey,
Kaii,” she says, looking up at him with big adoring eyes. Aww, how cute. It
looks like someone’s got a crush. “How’s it going?”
“Hi,
Valla,” he greets her with a smile while pulling Tara to his side. “I’m doing
just fine now.”
Her
expression falters, but only briefly. Kaii probably has no idea he’s breaking
this kid’s heart. I feel bad for her. Valla is young, maybe sixteen or
seventeen, with long black braids and dirt smudges on her face. She’s holding
some kind of tool. Her clothing is functional and full of bulging pockets. I
know her type, smart and mousy. Kaii would chew this girl up and spit her out
without knowing he’d done it. She’s better off without him.
Valla’s
gaze travels over to Tara with a frown. She takes in Tara’s hair, clothes, and
especially her knives, her eyes growing wider by the minute before turning back
to Kaii with the fakest smile I’ve ever seen. “Oh… That’s great.” Wow! This
girl needs some acting lessons.
Kaii
leans closer and shout-whispers in Tara’s ear, as he gestures to Valla,
“Valla’s an inventor. She’s brilliant.”
“Kaii,”
Valla warns, but he isn’t listening.
“See
those chairs over there? Mila called them the Chairs of Death.” I follow his
finger as he indicates a pair of seats surrounded by a mesh of twigs and
fastened to a long rope leading up. It looks like a death trap. “Valla invented
them. They’ll take you from the ground, all the way to the top of the Chief’s
Rib. She even made us fly once.”
“KAII!”
Valla glares at Kaii and he finally gets the point. She doesn’t trust Tara, and
she doesn’t think he should either. Kaii’s right. Valla is a very smart girl.
Tara
flashes her a smile, but narrows her eyes in warning, like a sand viper
preparing to strike. The girl recoils from the obvious threat. Ha! She
wouldn’t last five minutes on the ship. Tara turns to Kaii, draping herself
over him and running her lips across his neck. “That’s really interesting, but
I recall you having a promise to keep.”
“You’re
right. We should go.” His sexy laugh is low before turning to kiss Tara.
Valla’s pain flashes across her features before she hurries to conceal it.
Throwing his arms over Tara’s shoulder, Kaii leads her toward the stairs. “Good
night, Valla,” he calls without looking back, and only a blind boy like him
can’t see the hurt in her eyes. Valla retreats into her room as Kaii and Tara climb
the questionable-looking stairs carved into the side of the rib towards the
dark night sky. After two turns, they stop at a room less than halfway up the
ribs.
“I
thought you lived at the top,” Tara says.
Kaii
scoffs and looks further up the rib with a scowl. “No. My father lived up
there… before… Anyway, the only thing up there now is his hoard of treasure.”
“Treasure?!”
Tara laughs as if she doesn’t believe him. Only I know she does. It’s why we’re
here and Kaii takes the bait.
“My
father was a collector, and he didn’t like to share. Anytime he found something
valuable, he added it to his hoard.” Kaii’s eyes cloud over. His father is
obviously a sore subject. I suspect the mix of alcohol and having someone
listen has loosened his lips. Thankfully, those lips gave Tara all the
information she needed.
“You
know what, I forgot something at Jezebone’s.” Tara’s voice is dismissive. Kaii
sways towards her, but she pats him on the chest, shoving him back against the
door.
“Should
I walk you back?” Kaii is a gentleman, even drunk.
“No.
Tell you what. You go in and get out of these pesky clothes, and leave the door
unlocked. I’ll be right back.” Tara grabs his cheeks and kisses him deeply.
“One for the road,” she murmurs, pushing him towards his door. “It’s been fun,
Kaii.”
Without
even waiting for a reply, she practically runs down the stairs. With any luck,
he’ll pass out and forget about her by morning. He doesn’t know how close he
came to losing more than a tumble in the hammock.
As
Tara reaches the ground, I step out of the shadows. She barely startles.
“How
do you feel about heights, cousin?” Tara asks. Pointing above me.
I
follow her finger, tilting back my head till I can see the curved top of the
rib, hundreds of lengths above us. Oh no.
Tara smiles. “Let’s get Jace and Brax. I know where the treasure is.”
Thanks for sharing my book. Hope you enjoy reading it 😊
ReplyDeleteHi! You are welcome, it was our pleasure!
ReplyDeleteGreat cover.
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